Currently untitled
by sheneya
Summary: Despair and magic are a terrible combination
1. Chapter 1

Series: Untitled

Chapter: Found out (for now, hoping to think of a better one later)

Rating: PG-13

Pairing/s: maybe future Merlin/Arthur

Warning/s: Dark, Angst

Summary: Magic and Despair are not a good combination

Please read and review

It had been five days. Since Arthur had seen Merlin use his magic. Five days since he had slapped Merlin to the ground, rage on his face, and the words.

"Be thankful I won't give you to father."

That night Merlin stared blindly, at the small, murky puddle in the corner of his room

It had been four days since Merlin, his head held low, tried to talk to Arthur, to explain to him why. Four days, since Arthur had ignored his every attempt.

"You have nothing I want to hear."

The Puddle seemed larger tonight.

It had been three days since he had carried all of Arthur's armor into the armory, since an oddly familiar man had placed his foot in Merlin's Path. Three days, and Arthur had just looked on and ignored him.

Merlin had gotten a sprained wrist and a twisted ankle.

For a second, the puddles murky depths seemed to call to him.

It had been two days since Merlin had brought Arthur his breakfast, a meal of buttered toast, and sweet, hot tea. Two days since Arthur had pegged the just off boiling drink at his head, leaving him with second degree burns on his face and neck.

"How could I have ever trusted you?"

The puddle seemed almost black tonight.

Today Merlin just stayed in his bed, he couldn't take it anymore. He was too tired, and too broken, like a doll that had been played with too much. He knelt so, so still, glazed eyes staring through the cracks in the ceiling.

Behind him, the black sludge began to move on it's own.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Series: Untitled

Chapter: no title (I'm working on it).

Rating: PG-13

Pairing/s: maybe future Merlin/Arthur, Possibly Implied Gaius/Uther, I don't think it is, but other's might disagree.

Warning/s: Dark, Angst

Summary: Magic and Despair are not a good combination

Please read and review

It's nearly three hours before Gaius starts to worry, Merlin is already two hours late for his duties.

He had run into Arthur during his rounds, Nearly spilling sir Belin's medicine when the prince yanked on his arm, demanding to know where Merlin was.

Gaius glared at the young man for a second, well aware of how he'd been treating the boy he thought of as a son.

He was rewarded with a guilty look.

"He should have told Me right away Gaius."

"And what would you have done, your Majesty?"

Arthur just stormed away.

Delivering Belin's medicine ended his round for the morning, so he decided to head back to check on the young Warlock.

Even with Arthur at his worst, Merlin had never just not shown up for work.

"Merlin, are you alright my boy.......Merlin."

"Merlin." he tried again, pushing open the door.

He barely noticed as the empty vial he was holding in one hand shattered around his feet, as he backed from the room.

He vaguely registered his door opening, Arthur and his father racing towards the sound of breaking glass, and the cry he hadn't even realized he'd made.

"Physician....Gaius, what has happened?"

"It's black....It's all black, I can barely see him."

For the first time in nearly thirty years, Gaius clung to his King, his friend.

Uther was too surprised to make him stop, so he tilted his head towards The young Manservants doorway.

And Arthur walked into Merlin's room.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Series: Untitled

Chapter: no title (still working on it).

Rating: PG-13

Pairing/s: could be seen as slash Merlin/Arthur, Possibly Implied Gaius/Uther, I don't think it is, but other's might disagree.

Warning/s: Dark, Angst.

Summary: Magic and Despair are not a good combination.

I hope it's a good ending to the other chapters

I'm not sure whether I should write a short epilogue or not, please let me know if you think it's a good idea.

Please read and review

The room was a murky, Green-black color, like someone had peeled the flesh from a rotting carcass, and hung it over the windows and on the walls, the ground seemed to slip under Arthur's feet, and all around him, columns of what seemed to be the veins and arteries of the same dead beast.

In front of him Arthur could barely make out Merlin's pale form, his body almost completely covered, wrapped in the twisted parody of a mother's embrace.

Every step made him feel like he had a black hole somewhere inside him, the feeling so strong Arthur looked at his stomach, expecting to see it's surface cave in as he was hollowed out.

"Merlin?"

"Why are you here?"

Merlin's voice seemed to echo inside his head.

"I came....I was coming....to apologize."

"What....What's happening Merlin?"

"He called to us."

The voice was not Merlin's, though it emanated from his throat.

"He called to us.....such pain.....such sorrow.....such unimaginable power."

"Who are you, what do you want with him?"

"We want to take him away.....take him with us.....such pain.....he calls to us."

The voices seemed to claw at Arthur's mind, desperately battering at his sanity, long forgotten whispers of a half remembered nightmare from his childhood.

"Merlin, can you hear me?"

"You gave him to us....you made his pain....we will not give him back......not to you."

"Merlin,I'm sorry."

Arthur's voice had a desperate edge to it.

"I was just trying to keep you safe, I had to drive you away, to keep you safe, to keep you from father."

For a second, Merlin's eyes seemed to clear, but it faded away to soon.

"We will protect him now......we will keep him safe from harm.....we will lay to waste all that would cause him pain."

"I know I went about it the wrong way, I should have just talked to you, made my intentions clear another way.

Arthur moved to where his friend was kneeling.

"I'm sorry, Merlin please, please speak to me."

".....Arthur."

"No, you can not risk it."

The voices became more and more desperate. "We will keep you safe, we will protect you from harm........stay with us.......please don't leave us."

Slowly, the darkness in the room began to fade away, Merlin slumped forward, his forehead pressed against Arthur's chest.

"Please, don't leave us."

Merlin pulled back from where he was resting, and moved towards the rapidly shrinking puddle, Arthur watched him, expecting a destructive spell, a violent clearing of the things that had tried to harm his friend.

It didn't happen, Merlin conjured a small, almost crystalline bowl, kneeling next to the black puddle creatures, he held it towards them.

"It's alright, I won't leave you alone, I'll take care of you, I'll protect you always."

Slowly, they poured themselves into the bowl.

"Merlin, what are you doing, they're evil, they tried to kill you."

"No, they didn't Arthur, they tried to keep me safe, to protect me, now I will do the same for them."

Arthur just stared as Merlin placed the bowl on his side table.

"What if it happens again?"

Merlin walked forward and wrapped his arm around Arthur's shoulder.

"It won't if your a little more clear about what you mean to do."

And they both stepped from the room.

The End


	4. Epilogue

Series: Untitled

Chapter: epilogue (Unoriginal, but it works.)

Rating: PG-13

Pairing/s: maybe future Merlin/Arthur, Possibly Implied Gaius/Uther, I don't think it is, but other's might disagree.

Warning/s: Dark, Angst.

Summary: Magic and Despair are not a good combination.

I hope it's a good epilogue

Please read and review

It didn't take long for Arthur to notice that not only was Merlin protecting the Endari, as the Black sludge creatures where known as, but No one else seemed to wish them harm either.

He could understand Morgana and Gwen's behavior, he could even see why the court Physician could accept them, now that they no longer had Merlin so completely in their grasp.

The one person he couldn't understand was his own father, the man so completely against anything magical, he would willing execute a child, but these Creatures he left alone.

Unable to take this strange behavior any more, Arthur went to his father, to demand a explanation, or at least a valid reason.

"I know what your going to ask Arthur, how could I let such dangerous creatures live in my castle."

"Well, not exactly father."

"It's Because your manservant is, for once, right, they are not dangerous, as horrible as they look, all they want is to protect people."

"But, father, Their obviously Magical in nature."

"You would think so wouldn't you, creatures such as that could only come from magic, in this case, you'd be wrong."

"How do you mean?"

"They have no Magic, they can't cast spells, or influence someone's mind into doing their bidding, all they can do is answer someone's pain, and try to keep them from it."

"OK.....Father, how do you know so much about them?"

Uther sighed.

"Merlin isn't the first time they've come into Camelot."

For a second, it looked like Uther wasn't going to say any more, then he looked at his son, and opened his mouth.

"After I lost your mother, I could Barely function,for nearly a year, Gaius covered for me, saying I had taken ill, it was so bad, they where choosing Reagents to look after Camelot until you came of age that's why he was so distressed when they came for Merlin, I was so wrapped in my own pain, I was even further in then your servant, all I wanted to do was fade away into nothingness, Gaius couldn't pull me out, it seemed like no one could pull me out."

"And......How did you get out."

"You saved me.......you hadn't spoken yet, the Nurses where worried, they feared something had damaged your mind."

Arthur managed to look thoroughly insulted for a second, Uther laughed.

".....Then......you came into my room, you smiled at me, even wrapped in darkness........and you said, Daddy....Daddy, it's time to wake up now......It was so similar to something Igraine said to me while she was pregnant, and I woke up....and the Endari left."

"And they came back when I hurt Merlin, I think I understand now."

Arthur got up, and headed towards the doorway, determined to make it up to his friend, when his father's next words made him pause.

"Arthur.....son, don't end up like me, don't become a bitter old man, whose only friend is an equally damaged man, keep your young warlock, I'll look the other way, just this once, just for you....son."

Arthur looked at his father, for the first time since he was a small boy truly seeing the man under the crown, he swallowed all the words bubbling in the back of his throat.

"Yes...dad."

and Arthur went to see Merlin, and his Endari, he might stop by the kitchens.

Hopefully they liked venison.

The End


End file.
